MARVEL TEAM-UPS: Father/Son Duos Ready for Adventure

Marvel surprised longtime X-Men fans with the announcement that its newest mutant-centric ongoing series, "Cyclops," will be a time travel-instigated generational adventure.

In Greg Rucka and Russell Dauterman's upcoming series, a teenaged Scott Summers ditches his time-displaced teammates for the opportunity to sail the stars with his space pirate father, Corsair. Though not a mind-trippingly insane idea, the concept feels refreshingly original, especially when one considers the rather high number of Marvel heroes who are either orphaned or childless.

The Sam Jackson-inspired Nick Fury Jr. may have taken over the original's role in the Marvel Universe, but we still don't know a lot about the character. We haven't even seen Nick Fury Classic and Nick Fury Junior interact all that much outside of the initial "Battle Scars" limited series. This has led to many fans feeling like Nick Fury Jr. replaced Nick Fury too soon, leaving a longstanding character in the dust and replacing him with someone with the same personality but none of the history. A series focusing on this duo could effectively and convincingly pass the torch from father to son, while placing Jr. in close and prolonged proximity to his father could also establish just how son is different from father.

Longshot & Shatterstar

After decades of speculation, "X-Factor" writer Peter David finally revealed everything there is to reveal about the relationship between these two Mojoverse heroes. Thanks to a head-scratching time paradox, both classic X-Man Longshot and ex-X-Forcer Shatterstar are the father and son of each other. A series following the adventures of a happy-go-lucky knife chucker and a pansexual double-bladed sword slinger as they both try to parent each other could be both confusing and highly entertaining.

Wolverine & Daken

Sure, Daken's dead by Wolverine's hand for at least the second time, but this pair could still co-lead a comic book -- these are comic book characters after all. Logan and son haven't really seen eye to eye, well, ever, hence the many fights to the death, but maybe an ongoing series starring these two would elaborate on just why these guys can't get along. With their tortured pasts and feral natures, they're more alike than they think. Unlike the other entries on this list, these two have a lot of serious issues that would have to be worked out early on, otherwise one swipe of the claws might make this team-up book a solo adventure.

Iceman & Icy Dad

With his irresistible sense of humor, nonstop charm and relatable backstory, Bobby Drake is one mutant superhero that could easily headline his own ongoing series. His accounting degree gives him a unique profession through which to explore the super hero genre, and he's one of the few Marvel characters with two living parents. So what's the hook? Iceman's dad, William Drake, has been kind of a bigot in the past, which made for many awkward family dinners during Scott Lobdell's tenure as writer in the '90s. Marvel could publish a real family drama built around tensions that many kids have with their parents. Maybe this series wouldn't be as flashy as someone going on adventures with his space pirate dad, but it would have a lot of relevance and a lot of heart.

Gladiator & Kid

There's something almost Disney-ish in the way Jason Aaron and Nick Bradshaw have brought these Shi'ar citizens to life in "Wolverine and the X-Men," which is appropriate considering Marvel's parent company. So let's roll with that -- imagine a "Lion King"-esque tale about the brash Kid Gladiator dealing with inheriting the Shi'ar Empire from his all-business father. KG even has a secret love of Earth, particularly the Jean Grey School, which adds some of the same conflicts Ariel faced in "The Little Mermaid" to this hypothetical ongoing series. With the stylized setting and larger-than-life characters, this could be the closest Marvel gets to publishing their own brand of fairy tale.